Amazing Races

More and more these days, race courses are getting extreme – full of mud, obstacles, camping, and even zombies.

By Jess Blumberg, Illustrations By Tuesday Bassen - October 2012

Tough MudderCrumland Farm, Frederick

This 10-12 mile obstacle course, which takes place every September in Frederick, includes tons of obstacles such as climbing through trenches, swimming in underwater tunnels, and wading through a mile-long mud pit. The race benefits the Wounded Warrior Project, which aides injured service members. toughmudder.com

Warrior DashBudd’s Creek, Mechanicsville

This nearly 5K racecourse includes 12 intense obstacles like wall climbing, repelling, fire jumping, and running through tires. But fun is certainly encouraged as participants get a fuzzy Viking helmet to start, and the May race has been called an “adult playground.” warriordash.com

Run For Your LivesCamp Ramblewood, Darlington

This 5K course, which takes place October 27 and 28, has the ultimate obstacle—zombies! Before the race, participants get a flag belt and zombies (hired actors) try to take your flags throughout the course, which includes man-made and natural obstacles. A post-apocalyptic party (with plenty of beer) ensues afterwards. runforyourlives.com

Urban DareDowntown Baltimore

Like a one-day Amazing Race, this July event requires teams of two to run around the city, solving clues to find checkpoints where they take photos or perform dares—whether that means hopping a bus downtown, swimming in a fountain, or posing with local landmarks like a tourist. urbandare.com

Rebel RaceCage Stables, St. Leonard

This July event isn’t for the faint of heart. Rebel Race is a 5K or 15K race that involves plenty of obstacles (barricade climbing, rope swinging, and fire jumping), but it’s also a weekend-long event with live music, fireworks, and camping. rebelrace.com

Mud Chasers Camp Puh’tok, Monkton

This November event is known as the last mud run of the season—and it gets the whole family involved. Children ages 5-13 are considered “mini-mudders” and can run a one-mile, kid-sized obstacle course. The more intense (and 21+) set runs a challenging obstacle course three times over and the male and female with the best times win trophies. mudchasers.com